Languages of the Indian Ocean: A Journey Through Linguistic History

The Maldivian language, also known as Dhivehi, belongs to the Indo-European language family, specifically the Indo-Aryan branch.

English is the official language of Mauritius, a legacy of British colonial rule. However, Creole, a French-based language, is widely spoken and serves as a lingua franca among the Mauritian population.

Sinhala is the official language of Sri Lanka and is spoken by the majority of the population. Tamil is also recognized as an official language and is widely spoken in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

Creole, a French-based language, is the primary language spoken in the Chagos Archipelago. It developed during the period of French colonial rule and has remained the lingua franca among the Chagossian community.

Swahili, a Bantu language, belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. It is widely spoken along the East African coast and serves as a lingua franca in the region.

Creole, a French-based language, is the predominant language spoken in the Seychelles. It developed during the period of French colonial rule and has become the lingua franca among the Seychellois population.

Malagasy is closely related to Cham, a language spoken in central and southern Vietnam. Both languages belong to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family.

Comorian, also known as Shikomori, is the official language of the Comoros. It is a Bantu language closely related to Swahili and is widely spoken among the Comorian population.

The languages spoken in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands belong to the Austroasiatic language family. These languages, such as Jarawa and Onge, are unique to the region and have distinct linguistic features.

Dhivehi is the primary language of the Maldives. It is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Sinhala, the language spoken in Sri Lanka.

French is the official language and is spoken by the majority of the population in Réunion. Creole, a French-based language, is also widely spoken and serves as a lingua franca among the Réunionnais population.

English is the official language of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean. It is used in government, education, and communication.

The languages spoken in the Lakshadweep Islands belong to the Dravidian language family. These languages, such as Malayalam and Mahl, are closely related to other Dravidian languages spoken in southern India.

Socotri is the primary language spoken in the Socotra Archipelago. It is a Semitic language closely related to Arabic and is spoken by the majority of the population on the island.

French is the official language and is spoken by the majority of the population in Mayotte. Shimaore, a Bantu language closely related to Comorian, is also widely spoken among the Mahoran population.